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IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences (IOSR-JPBS)
e-ISSN: 2278-3008, p-ISSN:2319-7676. Volume 10, Issue 3 Ver. II (May - Jun. 2015), PP 24-27
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Phytochemical content of the leaf, stem and root of Micrococca
mercurialis (L.)Benth. A promising herb.
Sai Prasanna C. G*., Poongani .M* and Karpagam .S**
*Research Scholars , Department of Botany, Queen Mary’s College, Chennai -4.
** Associate Professor of Botany, Queen Mary’s College, Chennai – 4.
Abstract: The drug evaluation and bioassay of traditional herb has gained more importance in the world of
pharmacognosy. Plants which are available in our locality has to be studied and registered for their medicinal
uses, that gains more value in the scientific field. One among them is Micrococca mercurialis (L.) Benth with
vernacular name pulladi(tamil) a small herb belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. This herb has
ethanobotanical importance in curing sores, rheumatic pain and constipation. Phytochemical analysis of this
plant was done in four solvents namely petroleum benzine, chloroform, acetone and methanol separately with
leaves, stem and root. The phytochemical screening analysis showed the presence of alkaloids, phenols, amino
acids, diterpenes terpenoids, proteins, oxalate, cardiac glycosides, xanthoproteins, anthocyanin and saponin.
Keywords: constipation, pharmacognosy, phytochemical analysis, rheumatic pain, solvents, sores.
I.
Introduction
The medicinal plants are useful for healing as well as for curing of human diseases because of the
presence of phytochemical constituents [1,2]. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring in the medicinal plants in
all the parts namely, leaves, stem and roots that have defense mechanism and protect from various diseases.
Phytochemicals are primary and secondary compounds. Chlorophyll, proteins and common sugars are included
in primary constituents and secondary compounds have terpenoid, alkaloids and phenolic compounds [1,3].
Terpenoids exhibit various important pharmacological activities i.e.,anti-inflammatory,anti-cancer, antimalarial, inhibition of cholesterol synthesis, anti-viral and anti-bacterial activities [1,4].Terpenoids are very
important in attracting useful mites and consume the herbivorous insects [1,5]. Alkaloids are used as anaesthetic
agents and are found in medicinal plants [1,6].
Phytochemicals from plants have desirable biological activities [7].Plants have limitless ability to
synthesize aromatic substances like phenols,or their oxygen- substituted derivatives. Most of the natural
products are their secondary metabolites, which serves as defense mechanism against predation and protection
from microorganism, insects and herbivores [8].
The use of plants and plant extract for pharmaceutical purposes has been reported by various authors
and researchers.Many plants, whole and parts, and their products have been used in folklore medicine since
ancient time for curing human ailments. Hence it is the urgent need to study the various pharmaceutical
applications of medicinal plants and harvest the important potential of these plants in various human
pathologies.
M.mercurialis is an erect or procumbent herb up to 50 cm tall. Stem crisped – pubescent in rows.
Petioles are 0.5 to 2.5 cm long. Leaf blades are 2-7 × 1-3.5 cm, elliptic- ovate, subcute or obtuse apically,
crenate and rounded at base. Stipules are glandular 0.5 cm long. Inflorescence is 1 - 7.5 cm long, unisexual
flowers, female flowers are pedicellate 1-5 mm long extending to 3 cm in fruit, sepals long, ovate– lanceolate ,
acute, ovary 2 or 4 lobed. Fruits are rounded 3 lobed rarely 4 lobed, dark green or bluish- green becoming dull
purple on drying.
II.
Materials And Methods
2.1 Collection and authentication of plant material
The plant was collected in Queen Mary’s College campus and sea shore side of Marina Beach
(Chennai- 4) .The collected plants were identified by Prof. P Jayaraman, Director, Plant Anatomy Research
Centre (PARC) Chennai – 45.
2.2 Plant material
The collected plant material was separated as leaves, stem and root. All the material were washed
under running tap water thoroughly, shade dried for 15 to 20 days and grounded into fine powder and stored
separatively in a air tight container.
DOI: 10.9790/3008-10322427
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Phytochemical content of the leaf, stem and root of Micrococca mercurialis (L.)Benth. A ….
2.3 Preparation of extract
Each sample of 10 g were taken and soaked for 24 h in 30 ml of methanol, acetone, chloroform and
petroleum benzine separately. The extracts were filtered using Whatman filter paper 1, evaporated to dryness
and re-dissolved in the equal volume of its respective solvent. The extracts were stored at 4∙C for future use.
2.4 Phytochemical analysis
The phytochemicals present in each part of the plant was analysed by standard methods of Harborne.
The alkaloids are determined by Wagner’s test [8], carbohydrate by Benedict’s test [8], saponin by foam test,
phenols by ferric chloride test, flavonoids by lead acetate test, diterpenes by copper acetate test, terpenoids by
Salwoski’s test, aminoacids by ninhydrin test, proteins by biuret test, xanthoproteins by conc, HNO 3 test, cardiac
glycosides by Kellerkillani synthesis, anthocynanin by HCl and NH3, leucoxanthanin by isoamyl alcohol,
carboxlic acid by effervescence test.
III.
Result And Discussion
Micrococca mercurialis (L.) Benth leaf, stem and root were extracted with four different solvents
namely acetone, chloroform, methanol and petroleum benzine and the results are presented in Table 1 and 2.
The stem extract showed more number of secondary metabolites. Leaf extracts of acetone, chloroform and
petroleum benzine showed rich oxalate, cardiac glycosides, fewer xanthoproteins. Successful determination of
biologically active compound from plant is largely on the type of solvent used in the extraction procedure.
Properties of a good solvent used in plant extraction includes low toxicity, ease to evaporate at low heat,
promotion of rapid physiologic absorption of the extract, preservation action, and inability to cause extract to
complex or disassociate [8,9,10] As the end product in extraction will contain traces of residual solvent, the
solvent should be non toxic and should not interfere with bioassay.[8,9,11]
The plant is rich in saponins and it has anticancer activities [8]. It was observed that methanol extract of
M. mercurialis leaf has alkaloids, flavonoids, reducing-sugars, tannins, saponins and anthroquinones and
similar results were reported earlier [16].
Methanol separates polyphenols. They have unipolar character to release polyphenols from cells. It has high
polarity which helps to detect flavonoids, it easily penetrates cellular membrane [8]. Acetone dissolves many
hydrophilic and lipophilic components from the plants. It is a useful extractant for antimicrobial studies where
more phenolic compounds are required to be extracted. It is used to extract tannins, phenols, saponin[8].
Chloroform is used to extract terpenoids lactones [8]. Petroleum benzine [ether] is commonly used selectively
for the extraction of coumarins and fatty acids [8]
The stem extracts possess almost all the phytochemicals that are tested here when compared to leaf and
root. The stem is rich in phenols and proteins in the methanol and acetone extracts. Chloroform and petroleum
benzene extracts shows presence of alike compounds .
Root of M.mercurialis has same phytochemical compounds as that of leaf and stem in all the four
solvents. Chloroform extract showed the presence of anthocyanin.
From the above results it is eminent that the stem and root of the four solvent extractions has more
phytochemicals than its leaf extracts. The phytochemical analysis shows that the plant is rich in xanthoproteins,
terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, oxalate, saponin, anthocynanin and alkaloids. These phytochemicals helps us to
know that the Micrococca mercurialis possess antidiarrhoel, antihelmintic, anticancerous activities of the plant
and various biological active compounds [8].
Table 3.1– Phytochemical content of leaf, stem and root of Micrococca mercurialis.
S.no
Phytochemical
test
References
1.
Alkaloids
(Wagner’s test)
2
Carboxylic acid
(Efffervescence
test)
Saponins
(Foam Test)
Prashant
Tiwari et
al.,2011 . [8]
Suman Kumar
et al.,2013.
[12]
Prashant
Tiwari et
al.,2011 .[8]
Prashant
Tiwari et
al.,2011 .[8]
Prashant
Tiwari et
al.,2011 .[8]
3.
4.
5.
Phenols
(Ferric
chloride)
Flavonoids
(Lead Acetate)
DOI: 10.9790/3008-10322427
Leaf
Stem
Root
Me
-
Ac
-
Ch
-
P
-
Me
+
Ac
-
Ch
++
P
+
Me
++
Ac
-
Ch
++
P
++
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
+++
+++
-
-
+++
+++
-
+++
+++
+++
-
+++
-
-
-
-
+
+
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
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Phytochemical content of the leaf, stem and root of Micrococca mercurialis (L.)Benth. A ….
6
7.
Carbohydrates
(Benedict’s
test)
Amino acids
(Ninhydrin test)
8
Protein
(Biuret test)
9
Xanthoproteins
(Conc.HNO3,
NH3)
Terpenoids
(Salwoski’s
Test)
Diterpenes
(Copper
acetate)
Oxalate
(Ethanoic acid
glacial)
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Cardiacglycosid
es
(Kellar kiliani
synthesi)s
Anthocyanin
(Hcl and NH3)
Leucoanthocya
nin
(Isoamyl
alcohol)
Prashant
Tiwari et
al.,2011 .[8]
Prashant
Tiwari et
al.,2011 .[8]
Zakia Khanam
et al.,
2014.[13]
Suman Kumar
et al.,2013.
[12]
Zakia Khanam
et al., 2014.
[13]
Prashant
Tiwari et
al.,2011 .[8]
Solomon
Charles
Ugochukwu et
al.,2013. [14]
Chandra
Shekar Misra
et al.,2011 .
[7]
Ashvin
Godghate et
al., 2012
[15]
Ashvin
Godghate et
al., 2012
[15]
+++
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
+
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
++
++
-
-
++
++
-
-
-
-
++
-
++
-
+
+
-
-
+++
+
+++
+
+
-
+++
++
-
+++
+++
+++
+++
++
++
+
-
-
+
++
-
-
++
+++
-
-
-
+++
+++
+
-
++
+
-
-
-
-
-
-
++
-
++
-
-
++
+
-
-
-
++
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
++
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Me – Methanol , Ac – Acetone, Ch - Chloroform, P – Petroleum benzine, ‘+’ = stands for mild presence ,
‘ ++’ = moderately present , ‘+++’ = strongly present and ‘–‘= stands for absence.
Table 3.2 Phytochemicals extracted with different solvents.
S.no
1
Solvents
Methanol
Leaf
Diterpenes,
Terpenoids,
Saponin.
Stem
Alkaloids,
Phenols,
Amino acids, Diterpenes, Terpenoids ,
Proteins, Xanthoproteins.
Saponin.
Root
Alkaloids ,
Diterpenes,
Terpenoids
Protein,
Saponin.
2
Acetone
Choloroform
Phenols ,
Diterpenes, Terpenoids ,
Proteins,
Oxalate .
Saponin.
Alkaloids,
Oxalate ,
Cardiac glycosides.
Diterpenes,
Terpenoids,
Protein,
Saponin.
3
Diterpenes,
Terpenoids,
Oxalate.
Cardiac glycosides.
Saponin.
Terpenoids,
Oxalate, Xanthoproteins.
4
Petroleum
benzine
Oxalate ,
Cardiac glycosides.
Saponin.
Alkaloids ,
Terpenoids,
Cardiac glycosides,
Xantho proteins .
Saponin
IV.
Alkaloids ,
Terpenoids,
Anthocyanin,
Xantho proteins.
Alkaloids,
Terpenoids,
Cardiacglycosides,
Xantho proteins,
Saponin.
Conclusion
The pharmacological potency of this plant is evident by its phytochemical content, results of this study
persuade the researchers more towards its component isolation, viability as drug in the field of medicine.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknoweledge R. Banumathy, Head of Department of Botany, Queen Mary’s College ,
Chennai - 4 for permitting to do the work in the laboratory.
DOI: 10.9790/3008-10322427
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